This fall, a grant of $14,800 from Rotary Club of Champaign is making it possible for the library to expand a reading program begun at Garden Hills Elementary School that helps students become motivated readers and encourages library use.
Throughout the year, children’s librarians will bring excitement about books and reading into third and fourth grade classrooms at Robeson Elementary School.
As part of the program:
- School classrooms and media centers receive appealing new books that kids love to read—200 for each classroom, and more than 350 for the media center
- Classrooms receive shelving to make the new books attractive and easy to find
- Our librarians visit classrooms monthly for lively book talks that pique kids’ interest
- Students get an exciting tour of the Champaign Public Library
- Children choose two popular books that are theirs to keep
To further enrich the experience, Robeson students will meet author Lisa Graff whose newest book, A Tangle of Knots, is a National Book Award finalist. The author will also present a free public program at the library.
pictured, students in Garden Hills School, where the program began, showed off books they received to keep